Collecting NES Black Box / Sprite Art Games

It is very easy to get overwhelmed when collecting vintage video games. It can be tempting to attempt to collect full console libraries of games, but sometimes focusing on a certain sub-category of a particular library can often be a more practical (and many times more enjoyable) experience.

This is the first of a series of collecting guides that will focus on a subset of games that are popular with collectors. The launch titles for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) are of particular interest to me, not only for their historical value, but also for their packaging style.

As an added bonus, I also included images and prices for three other games that, while they aren’t launch titles and use silver boxes instead of black boxes, they do use the same pixel art for their covers. They are still pretty cool in my book, so I didn’t want to overlook them.

Personally, I only own a handful of carts for these games, but I hope to collect more – including slowly starting to collect some boxed copies. My motivation for creating this post was actually researching the values of these games in various conditions so I knew what to expect when tracking them down. Knowing which ones are the hardest to find and knowing what is a extra-good deal is very helpful when you stumble upon some in the wild.

History

After the video game crash in the early 1980’s, Nintendo wanted to take extra precautions when marketing their hardware and games. In addition to naming their console the “Nintendo Entertainment System” to avoid referencing “video games”, they also wanted to be very upfront to consumers what the games would look like.

To make sure gamers weren’t disappointed, Nintendo used pixel art on their covers instead of the more traditional hand-drawn artwork.Even though it was originally intended to avoid getting consumers hopes up about the games, these boxes eventually became iconic pieces of gaming history. More than twenty years later as enthusiasm and nostalgia for retro video games grow, these covers are also viewed as appealing and collectable commercial art.

The Box Art

Since I love the sprite-based artwork, I wanted to round up the best quality scans of the boxes that I could find online and touch them up, so I and anyone else could find them easily. You can click on any of the smaller cover images below to get a large version. These larger versions should be the best you’ll be able to find online. If you know of a better copy, please let me know in the comments below.

10 Yard Fight

Balloon Fight

Baseball

Clu Clu Land

Donkey Kong

Donkey Kong 3

Donkey Kong Jr

Donkey Kong Jr Math

Duck Hunt

Excitebike

Golf

Gumshoe

Gyromite

Hogan’s Alley

Ice Climber

Kung Fu

Mach Rider

Mario Bros

Pinball

Popeye

Pro Wrestling

Slalom

Soccer

Stack-Up

Super Mario Bros

Tennis

Urban Champion

Volleyball

Wild Gunman

Wrecking Crew

Kid Icarus

Metroid

Rad Racer

Game Values

Since values of these games can vary so much depending on condition, I actually have four different price points listed for each game. Of course, the cart-only will be your most affordable option. The “Boxed” value is for a copy with a box that shows some wear (which is easy on these black boxes) that may or may not include the instructions. A “Boxed Mint” copy is one where there is very little wear on the box and instructions are included. And finally, the Sealed prices are for games that have never been opened and are still in their factory shrink wrap. I based these prices on what I have seen in recent months on eBay. If I have not seen particular game in a particular condition, I based the value on another game of similar rarity. I think you’ll find these prices to be rather accurate.